I know I’ve been really quiet but a funny thing happened to me on the way back from Panama city a few weeks ago, I met Carla.
As all of you know I HATE the bus, well…, not so much this time. Anyway, on my way back from the city I needed to change buses in Sabanetas which is a really nasty, dirty, cruddy little Panamanian town. I was really stressed to make the bus and only made it by a minute or two, had I missed it I’d be sitting in the heat for hours.
Carla was sitting on the sidewalk next to her long board looking a bit dazed, lost, and supporting a frown. She was on her way to Isla Grande for some surfing and adventure and had been sitting there for hours. She didn’t get to the surfing but she did get the adventure as did I :)
When we got to Puerto Lindo I offered to introduce her to my monkey friends and take her to Isla Grande via the inflatable. It took all of about 5 minutes to 
know something was going on with us as we had a really strong connection. Carla has been traveling the world for the last 12 years teaching children. She studied languages in University and is also a translator for a children’s rights foundation in Argentina and translates documents via email so she can travel. She gave up her flat at the end of last school year and went traveling again, luckily this time to Panama :)
The last thing on my mind has been the possibility of any kind of romantic relationship. Relationships are really difficult for me because I have a list as long as my arm and I’m not willing to settle down, or settle for someone who isn’t right for me or just convenient. I find it very difficult to communicate & relate(in person) with most people and this was certainly not the case, Carla and I really clicked in a positive way.
Most of my friends are couples and keep telling me I wont come across a well educated, read, spoken, and traveled mermaid with no children, husbands, or baggage of any kind. When she told me that “every year I strive to live on less money and things” I nearly choked and swallowed my tong. I asked her if she was stalking me through my website and had made a psychological profile of what would be a perfect woman for me. You think I’m joking, this was a valid concern in my mind. She’s a super-hippie with a great attitude and great…, well…, I wont get into all of that. The list of things we have in common is absurd, our birthdays are even 2 days apart.
Carla holds 2 passports (Croatia and Argentina) and lives in Patagonia. She flew back to Buenos Aires yesterday because her sister had a baby. Her sister lives in the mountains of Patagonia with no electricity and just gave birth naturally without a midwife, doctor, hospital, or drugs. Her sister is a super-hippie too and obviously wants to live out of the system as well.
My head is spinning. She tells me she’s coming back in a few weeks after she packs some personal things and finishes the family reunion in the mountains. Maybe she will come to her senses and run away as fast as she can but I don’t think so, she left her surf board (prized possession) and some of her things. She is going to help me focus on chartering for the next 6 months. She is a great vegetarian cook, plays guitar, and needs to be in the water all the time.
Aside from my love-life I’m getting back to non-skid today. I have a friend coming on the 11th and have some work to do before he arrives. I bought a cheaper paint ($50/Gal) for the non-skid. I have some friends I trust and they assured me a one-part polyurethane is fine for the non-skid and easier to work with.
Well…, so there you go. I’ve traveled far enough to know I don’t know anything, life just happens and we have no control over it no matter how much we think we do.
I know a guy who one wrote “fear guards the gates of freedom”. Personally I’m not afraid of the sea, weather, being poor, or the unexpected. My fears lay in my heart and I’m good at protecting it. But I wish to be free, truly free! This is my path and I will walk it save my trepidations.
Cheers guys.
Peace, Love, and Coconuts.
Sail far & live slowly.
alex